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Measuring Weight (MASS) |
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Measuring Length |
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How to measure using a centimetre ruler? |
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Summary |
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In the olden days, man used to weigh an object with the help of things like marbles, wooden blocks, beans, etc. But the blocks, marbles, beans, etc. may not be of same size, so the weights could be different each time we would use them.
So, to get the same weight of an object every time it is measured, we use fixed measures, i.e., standard units like grams and kilograms and know how heavy the object is. In short, we write ‘kg’ for kilograms and ‘g’ for grams.
1000 g make 1 kg.
So, 1 kg = 1000 g.
We use grams to weigh lighter objects and kilograms to weigh heavier objects.
Examples
The following pictures show some of the commonly used weights.
You have learnt in Class 1 about the various units of measuring lengths such as digit (finger width), handspan, footspan, cubit and pace.
None of the above units is a standard unit as the digit, handspan, footspan, cubit and pace, etc. differ from person to person.
So, in order to measure length of a given object correctly, we use standard units and scales.
We measure the length of an object by a metre rod or a ruler.
The standard unit of length is metre. In short, metre is written as m. In the picture shown on the right, a cloth merchant is measuring the length of cloth with a metre rod. Larger lengths such as length of a train, height of a tall tree, width of the playground, etc. are measured in metres. Smaller lengths are measured in centimetres. In short, centimetres is written as cm. Smaller lengths such as length of a pencil, width of your book, thickness of TV remote, etc. are measured in centimetres.
Look at the 15 cm ruler (small ruler) that you generally use. The distance from 0 marking to 1 marking represents 1 centimetre.
As you see in the ruler shown below, the length between the centimetre markings are all equal.
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Download the notes
Measurement of Length and Mass
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To measure the length of an object, say, a pencil, put the pencil above the zero mark of the ruler.Then, read the marking on the ruler where the pencil ends. The length of the pencil is 7 cm.
24 videos|140 docs|17 tests
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1. What are the basic units of weight and mass in the metric system? | ![]() |
2. How do you measure length accurately? | ![]() |
3. What is the difference between mass and weight? | ![]() |
4. Why is it important to understand the difference between length and mass in science? | ![]() |
5. How can I convert mass from kilograms to grams? | ![]() |